Temple Shalom (Wheeling, West Virginia) Explained

Temple Shalom
Religious Affiliation:Reform Judaism
Festivals:-->
Organizational Status:-->
Leadership:Lay led
Status:Synagogue
Functional Status:Active
Location:23 Bethany Pike, Wheeling, West Virginia 26003
Map Type:West Virginia
Map Size:250
Map Relief:1
Coordinates:40.0808°N -80.6917°W
Date Destroyed:-->
Elevation Ft:-->

Temple Shalom is a Reform Jewish synagogue located at 23 Bethany Pike, Wheeling, West Virginia, in the United States. The congregation dates from 1849, with the current synagogue building completed in 1957, as the Woodside Temple.[1]

History

Temple Shalom is the result of the merger of several smaller congregations with Congregation L'Shem Shomayim (Hebrew, meaning "For the sake of Heaven") which was founded in 1849 by Jews who had immigrated from German-speaking Central European nations. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in West Virginia.[1]

Abba Hillel Silver served as its rabbi for two years (1915–1917), immediately after his graduation and ordination at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.[2]

In April 1892, the congregation dedicated an elaborate Moorish Revival synagogue on Eoff Street, known as the Eoff Street Temple. The building featured a dome, keyhole door and elaborate keyhole windows.[3] [4] This building was used until 1957 when the Woodsdale Temple was built on Bethany Pike. In 1974 the Woodsdale Temple (Reform) and the Synagogue of Israel (Conservative) merged to form Temple Shalom. In 1986 Agudas Achim Congregation of nearby Bellaire, Ohio closed and its members join Temple Shalom.[1] The Eoff Street synagogue was later demolished.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Temple Shalom - Congregation L'Shem Shomayim . West Virginia Jewish History . n.d. . December 21, 2023 . http://www.westvirginiajewishhistory.com/wheeling.htm . July 30, 2008 .
  2. Web site: Abba Hillel Silver: The Wheeling years . Cleveland Jewish History . December 21, 2023 .
  3. Book: Jewish Communities on the Ohio River: A History' . Hill Shevitz, Amy . University Press of Kentucky . 2007 . 140 .
  4. Web site: The New Synagogue; Some Idea of Its Beautiful Finish and Furnishings; Splendid Memorial Windows And Carven Pulpit and Altar Presented by Members of the Congregation -- Interior Decorations of the Most Beautiful Temple of Worship in Wheeling -- The Dedication. . Wheeling Daily Intelligencer . March 29, 1892 . 5 . Eoff Street Temple . 2008-09-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080414225749/http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/landmark/churches/eoffst02.htm . 2008-04-14 .